


Lucky One

by Deadlihood



Series: Hauntings [5]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe- Supernatural Elements, Fluff, Hauntingsverse, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, like the slightest hint of smut if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 13:31:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12322026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deadlihood/pseuds/Deadlihood
Summary: How Junmyeon built his family.





	Lucky One

**Author's Note:**

> If you have not read my Hauntings series (beginning with Haunting Haunted Haunts) this will make very little sense to you.

Junmyeon was struggling to not roll his eyes at himself even as he buttoned up his nicest shirt, the one that made his shoulders look the broadest and nipped in his waist. Why was he bothering to dress up? It wasn’t like he had an icecube’s chance in hell that either of those men would notice him. Besides, they’d been together for two years, they’d said. Who did he think he was that he could split them up?

 _But you’d rather have both of them_ , a tiny voice reminded him. Junmyeon viciously stomped that thought out as he laced his dress shoes up. He had to meet Kris and Yixing at the property in twenty minutes. There was no time for brooding or pining.

“Go sell them a house, and then get over it.” He muttered to himself in the mirror, pulling his peacoat on. It was raining, like it always was here. He grabbed the umbrella from the stand by his front door (it was a miracle it had even made it in there) and made his way to the car.

He recognized Kris’s truck parked in front of the property he was showing them today. Through the blur of the rain, he could see Yixing’s hands moving, like he was gesturing wildly while he spoke. Junmyeon felt a stab of affection for the easily excited man. Kris was a carpenter, all broad shoulders and big hands. Yixing was a dancer, lithe limbs expressing his emotions almost as well as his face.

When Kris and Yixing saw him getting out of the car, they climbed out of the truck, hurrying up the front walk to the porch.

“I like the porch.” Yixing said, smiling a little too wide. Junmyeon just blinked, trying to clear his eyes.

“I thought you might.” He unlocked the front door, his hands shaking. He was always nervous around them; it didn’t hurt that they were both taller than him.

“So the property is a little over 1200 square feet, two bedrooms, three bathrooms.” Junmyeon felt better spitting out real estate facts. It was an easy script to keep to. “Big kitchen off the living room, and there’s a storage shed in the back for Kris.”

“Perfect.” The low, rolling rumble of Kris’s voice reminded Junmyeon of thunder.

“There’s a powder room here, off the living room. Good for guests.” Junmyeon turned and Yixing was standing so close that Junmyeon nearly smacked into him. Yixing just smiled, his cheek dimpling. Junmyeon felt a little faint.

“Formal dining room.” Junmyeon said in a high, reedy voice. “And there’s the shed out there. The owners are still storing things in there, so they asked it to remain closed.”

“Fair enough. The bedroom is upstairs?” Kris had one eyebrow arched in a way that made Junmyeon’s stomach do a very odd squiggle. Were they trying to kill him today? It made him feel a little ill to think that they’d figured out his stupid crush and were teasing him. But he didn’t think they were cruel enough to do that.

“This is the master bedroom.” Junmyeon practically shoved himself into the corner as Yixing and Kris wandered through, checking out the bathroom and the closet.

“Will all of our…things fit in here?” Yixing asked Kris. The older man snorted.

“I think it’ll be fine, Xing.” Kris replied.

“The last bedroom and bathroom are this way.” Junmyeon finished the tour feeling like his legs were going to give out from under them. “So, what do you think of the house?” The two of them exchanged a glance.

“We’d like to make an offer on it.” Kris said.

“Great! Let me step outside, I can get in touch with the other realtor.” Junmyeon was grateful for the cold wind on his pink cheeks. The conversation only took a few minutes; there had been no other offers on the property and it had been on the market too long for the owners to want to haggle too much.

Kris and Yixing were having a whispered conversation when Junmyeon came back in, and abruptly shut up.

“There’s some paperwork to do, of course, but the house is yours.” Junmyeon said softly. Kris and Yixing grinned at each other, their excitement at owning their first home together palpable. Junmyeon felt like a third wheel.

“So now that we’ve had the offer accepted on the house,” Yixing said, stepping closer, “there’s one more offer we need to make.”

“Offer? On what?” Junmyeon’s brain short circuited as Yixing got even closer.

“An offer on _you_.” Yixing pronounced.

“Not a sex thing.” Kris was quick to say. “I mean, not just a sex thing.”

“No, we want to take you on a date.” Yixing reached out tentatively, growing bolder when Junmyeon let him touch his cheek. “We’re both attracted to you. And unless I’ve got it very wrong, you’re attracted to both of us.”

“Yes.” Junmyeon found it harder to breathe as Kris slid up on Yixing’s right, crowding Junmyeon.

“Then let us take you to dinner. After the paperwork is done, we thought maybe that was an ethical violation or something.” Kris said.

“It is.” Junmyeon could hardly believe what they’d asked him. “When the paperwork is in and filed, we’ll go out.” He grinned, suddenly giddy.

“Perfect.” Junmyeon wasn’t sure if Yixing meant his smile or the plan, but he’d take both.

The paperwork took about a week to fill out and get filed, and soon Junmyeon was delivering the house keys to Kris and Yixing, who immediately set their date for the next night.

Junmyeon had never thought that three people could work in one relationship, but he was proven wrong very quickly. He had never been happier than when he was out with Kris and Yixing, and they treated him as an equal partner.

And the first night they took him to bed, Junmyeon thought he’d died and gone to heaven. They were this unbearable tangle of hands and mouths and limbs and when it was all over, Kris pulled Yixing and Junmyeon into the shower, giggling as they all tried to fit in at once. They traded wet kisses under the showerhead and Kris wrapped the two smaller men up in his long arms, holding them close. Junmyeon had never felt more alive.

Three months in, Junmyeon was at the house cooking them dinner. Kris uncorked a bottle of wine and poured three glasses, delivering one to Junmyeon with a sneaky pinch on the butt.

“Don’t pinch the cook.” Junmyeon scolded, even as he winked at Kris.

“Couldn’t help myself.” He said, drifting back towards the table and Yixing. They both knew better than to try to help Junmyeon; they were helpless in the kitchen and were more likely to set something on fire than they were to help him.

“Should we ask now?” Junmyeon heard Yixing whisper. There was a rustle of clothing, probably Kris shrugging.

“Junmyeon, baby.” Yixing wound his arms around Junmyeon’s waist, careful to avoid the burner. “We have another offer for you.”

“You mean besides that thing you asked Kris and me to do?” Junmyeon grinned when he saw Yixing’s cheeks turn red out of the corner of his eye.

“Yes, besides that.” Yixing flicked his ear. “We want you to move in.” Junmyeon was stunned into silence.

Kris didn’t like silence. “I’ve already been looking into a bigger bed for us.”

It took Yixing a beat and a half to realize that Junmyeon was crying. “Junnie, why are you crying?” He turned Junmyeon, moving him away from the stove.

“Nothing, nothing.” Junmyeon dried his eyes with the edge of his apron. “I’m just _happy_.”

“So you’ll move in?” Kris caged Junmyeon in from the back, anchoring him.

“Of course I’ll move in.” Junmyeon laughed, throwing his arms around both of them. “Oh, my boys.” They stood like that for a few minutes before Yixing inhaled deeply.

“I think dinner’s burning.”  He said.

“Fuck!” Junmyeon scampered away and salvaged dinner, his heart soaring. It was working out. It was really working out.

Within the week, he’d put his apartment up for sale and moved his belongings into the house. True to his word, Kris had a bigger bed delivered and the three of them put it together as a team.

That night was the first night Junmyeon really felt at home, curled between his two boyfriends in the warm bed they’d built together.

“I love you both.” Junmyeon murmured, touching Yixing’s moonlit cheek. The dancer smiled sleepily, turning his face into Junmyeon’s palm. Kris pressed a kiss onto the back of Junmyeon’s neck.

“And we love you.” Kris murmured, slinging his arm over Junmyeon’s waist.

“How lucky is one man that he has two great loves in his life?” Yixing snuggled closer into Junmyeon’s arms.

“Truly lucky,” Junmyeon answered, letting the warmth of his boyfriends soothe him into sleep.

\--

“Baby, are you sure you should be performing so soon?” Junmyeon was fretting and he would be lucky if he didn’t chop one of his fingers off while he tried to dice the tomatoes for dinner.

“I told you, I feel fine. I’ve been dancing in class and nothing’s gone wrong. Besides, I’m one of the principal dancers. I can’t _not_ perform.” Yixing took a sip of lemonade. “It’s a charity show. They need me.”

“You know Kris isn’t going to be happy about this either. You push yourself too hard.” Junmyeon put the knife down. “I know you love dancing but is this worth your health? You could take a break, really give yourself time to recover. It’s not like we need the money.”

“I took my time to recover, Junnie. I’m fine. If it acts up again, then I’ll take a break.” Yixing’s tone made it clear that he was not about to argue the point. Junmyeon’s mouth twitched unhappily and Yixing got up and kissed him until it stopped.

“I go outside for five minutes, and you two are making out in the kitchen?” Kris laughed, pulling them both closer to him. “Not fair.”

“Sorry darling, I was making something up to Junmyeon.” Yixing gave Kris a quick peck. “And if we want to eat anytime soon, we better help him cook.”

“Yixing and I were just arguing about him dancing in that charity show.” Junmyeon said as he turned back to what he was doing. He could feel Yixing glaring daggers at him.

“Xing…” Kris sighed. “You’re risking a lot.”

“And I know the risks, as I told Junmyeon.” Yixing shot back. “I’m dancing, that’s it. I won’t be talked out of it.”

Kris muttered something in Mandarin that Junmyeon vaguely understood as meaning, “stubborn ass.” He didn’t speak a lot of Mandarin, but he knew a few of his partners’ more common phrases.

“We’ll be in the front row with some Icy Hot and the paramedics on speed dial, then.” Junmyeon was definitively not happy about Yixing dancing again so soon after his waist injury, but Yixing was never one to back down.

So Kris and Junmyeon got dressed up and picked up some flowers on the way to the charity show to give Yixing afterwards. The show was benefiting a local charity that helped abused women get back on their feet, and Yixing’s dance company was one of the main events.

The other performers were good, but Junmyeon was too anxious to really pay attention to them. He could just imagine Yixing falling on stage and not getting back up, too hurt to stand. Having to ride in the ambulance with him again. Kris reached over and squeezed his hand gently.

“Don’t worry so loud.” He said affectionately, pressing a kiss to Junmyeon’s temple. “Xing’s tough, and he knows his limits.”

“I really don’t think he does, not after the other day.”

Kris’s ears turned red. “That’s an outlier.”

“Really, you’d think he’d have thought about his body’s limitations before he asked us to both-” Junmyeon’s words were drowned out by the hip-hop mix that Yixing’s dance company was performing to.

Everything went off without a hitch. Yixing was in perfect form, like the rest of his company, and the crowd loved them. Kris and Junmyeon both jumped up and clapped like maniacs when the company took their bow.

After the show was over, the two of them threaded their way backstage to meet Yixing. He was crammed in the dressing room with the rest of his dance company as they cleaned off their stage makeup and changed into their regular clothes. Junmyeon and Kris waited out in the hall, talking quietly amongst themselves until a rather disheveled looking man ran right into Kris.

“Oh, sorry.” The man said, looking at Kris with bleary eyes. Junmyeon might have thought he was drunk, except he should have reeked like alcohol to look like that.

“Are you all right?” Junmyeon asked.

“Uh. Sort of.” The man rubbed his eyes.

“I’m Junmyeon, and this is my partner Kris.”

“Kyungsoo. I’m the marketing director for the charity.”

Junmyeon pursed his lips. “When is the last time you ate, Kyungsoo?”

“About…thirty-six hours ago.” Kyungsoo looked like he was lying.

“Kris, baby, would you put him in the truck please? I’ll wait for Yixing.” Junmyeon said. Kris just rolled his eyes and took Kyungsoo by the shoulder to take him out to the parking lot, even as the smaller man babbled on about not needing to leave.

“Hey, where’s Kris?” Yixing asked after he’d been greeted with a kiss and a bouquet.

“He’s taking our new friend out to the truck.” Junmyeon looped his arm around Yixing’s waist.

“New friend?”

“Marketing director of the charity. He looks a little worse for wear.”

“Ahh, I see. So we’re going to feed him, not fuck him.”

“Yixing, I didn’t think you wanted that not after-”

“Nope, don’t need to do that again.” Yixing said quickly. “I was just curious.” Junmyeon laughed and kissed him again.

Kyungsoo fell asleep in the truck, half-smashed between Yixing and Kris. Junmyeon had already started dinner in the crockpot that afternoon when he got home from work, so it was just a matter of getting Kyungsoo to sit up long enough to eat.

The marketing director was young and very-overworked, but he seemed to love his job. Of course, he asked about their relationship, as everyone did, but he didn’t seem to care that much. It seemed like the only thing he cared about was not ending up face first in his soup.

“You don’t have to do all this.” Kyungsoo protested when Junmyeon tucked a blanket around him on the couch. Yixing was in the kitchen making tea, humming softly to himself.

“Junmyeon always fusses. Just let it happen.” Kris chuckled. “If you’re lucky, he’ll bake something in the morning.”

“You bake too? What are you, an angel?” Kyungsoo accepted his tea from Yixing, inhaling the fragrance of it deeply before he took a sip.

“He’s our little angel.” Yixing kissed the top of Junmyeon’s head.

“And my new best friend.” Kyungsoo muttered into his tea. Junmyeon just giggled, happy to share his home and his family.

\--

“So, what do you do for a living?” Junmyeon asked, unlocking the door to the first apartment. The door stuck a little and he jammed his shoulder into it to get it all the way open.

Zitao looked down at him, looking sort of impressed. “You’re stronger than you look.”

“Man does not live on real estate alone.” Junmyeon made a mental note to ask the owner to fix the door.

“I guess not. I’m a wushu instructor.”

“Wushu? Like martial arts?” Junmyeon’s eyes flicked over Zitao’s long limbs and broad shoulders. He had the build for it definitely, the swell of a bicep under his black turtleneck giving him away.

“Yeah. I teach and I compete.” Zitao peered around the living room. “This isn’t a bad size.” Junmyeon took him through the two-bedroom apartment, highlighting the features he’d made a list of before leaving his house that morning.

“If you don’t mind my asking, does the competition aspect take you away from home often?” Junmyeon asked when they were standing in the kitchen, looking out at the rainy town.

“Depends on how often the tournaments are, how many I qualify for. Why?”

“This isn’t exactly the best neighborhood. I think I know of one better, a little out of your price range but not too bad.”

“Are you trying to upsell me, or are you genuinely worried about me?”

“I worry about everyone. I would hate to sell you a place in a shitty neighborhood where you could come home to your house empty, or get attacked in the parking lot or something.”

“I’m very capable of taking care of myself.” Zitao sounded amused, his arms flexing slightly. “But I do appreciate your concern. This place isn’t exactly what I was looking for. I’d be open to seeing the other property.”

The other apartment, closer to the neighborhood that Junmyeon lived in, was slightly more expensive, but larger and cozier. Zitao seemed especially taken with the skylights and the brightness it brought to the apartment.

“How much more is this place?” Zitao asked, his head poked into the bathroom to look at the size.

“It’s an extra five hundred a month.” Junmyeon would have picked this place for himself if he was still a bachelor. It was a well-maintained place in a good neighborhood and security cameras in the stairwells. It was the perfect place to leave for long periods of time and not worry about getting robbed.

Zitao seemed to be doing some calculations in his head. “And the utilities are included?”

“I believe they are, but I could double check for you.”

“Could you see if they are? I really like this place and I might be able to stretch my budget to make it.” Zitao’s stomach grumbled audibly and he smacked his hand over his stomach.

“You’re not very good at feeding yourself, are you?” Junmyeon was already planning how to talk Zitao into coming over for dinner.

“I eat a lot of take-out.” Zitao admitted. “But I work it all off in wushu.”

“Tell you what. Come home with me and I’ll fix you dinner. We can go over the costs of this place versus the other ones I’ve showed you. And you’re Chinese, right? Both of my partners are, too.”

“ _Both_ of your partners?”

“It’s a long story. Dinner?”

Zitao, Yixing, and Kris chattered on in Mandarin in the living room while Junmyeon added the finishing touches to his meal. The doorbell rang and he heard Kris’s heavy footsteps heading for the door.

“God, I can smell the food from out here.” Kyungsoo said, stomping his boots off on the doormat. “Junnie, what are we eating?”

Junmyeon stuck his head out of the kitchen, brandishing his spoon like a weapon. “I regret ever adopting you, Soo. You only ever come over when you’re hungry.”

“I thought that was the deal?” Kyungsoo grinned cheekily.

“Meet Zitao, he’s one of my clients. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.” Junmyeon disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving Kyungsoo to introduce himself to the newest dinner guest. By the time Junmyeon called them to the table, Zitao and Kyungsoo were arm-wrestling while Yixing and Kris cheered them on.

“Do you treat all of your clients like this?” Zitao asked as he helped clear the plates.

“I get feelings about people that they belong in my family. I certainly don’t bring people home often. Soo, we met, what, four months ago?” Junmyeon couldn’t remember.

“Yeah, I think so.” Kyungsoo shrugged. “He dragged me home from a charity show and fed me and gave me tea and made me sleep. I’d been up for three days straight and I hadn’t eaten in ages. Junmyeon swooped in like an angel.”

Kris squeezed Junmyeon’s hand under the table. His partners were very supportive of Junmyeon’s need to bring people in from the cold, to make them his family. They saw it as a sign of Junmyeon’s enormous love.

By the end of the night, Kris had practically adopted Zitao, or Tao as he instructed them to call him, as his own, and Junmyeon was ready to put in an offer on the apartment for him when the offices opened the next morning. Seeing his living room filled with happy people, Junmyeon couldn’t help but bask in the warmth.

\--

Jongdae heard the timid knock on the glass door and wanted to scream. Did it look like they were open yet? Luhan was in the back, hauling sacks of coffee grounds to his barista station, while Jongdae organized his baked goods in the glass case. He blew his bangs out of his face and straightened up, ready to yell at the person.

Then he recognized the man huddled outside as their upstairs neighbor, the guy who ran the antique store. Jongdae had seen him in the parking lot a few times, but they’d never spoken. Jongdae crossed the store to let him in, shivering in the cold air.

“Hey, I know you guys aren’t technically open yet, but I figured I should be your first customer since I’m your neighbor.” The guy held out his hand. “I’m Minseok.”

“Jongdae.” The younger man tried not to wince at how cold Minseok’s hands were. “My business partner is…not in the back anymore.”

No, Luhan was in the front of the store, openly gawking at Minseok. Jongdae glanced back at Minseok to see that he was staring right back. The silence grew thicker and thicker until Jongdae found it hard to breathe.

“I’ll just…go back into the kitchen. Let you two eyefuck each other.” Jongdae muttered, heading for the safety of his kitchen. He heard Luhan’s fancy ass coffee machine turn on and the rumble of their voices, but most of the sound was drowned out by his hand mixer. He could have used one of those industrial sized ones waiting off on the side, but for their opening day he was using his trusty hand mixer, the one his mom had used when he was growing up. He was just a little superstitious.

By the time they officially opened, Luhan had Minseok’s number and a date set up.

“Fuck, you work fast.” Jongdae said, taking his place at the cash register.

“I don’t know how to explain it, Dae. That was like God smacked me upside the head and said pay attention, this is the one.” Luhan shook his head. “Sounds like the set up to a pretty good first day, huh?”

“Here’s hoping.” Jongdae sipped his mocha with an extra shot, loving prepared by his business partner with a dick drawn in the foam, while they served their first customers.

\--

“Baek? Baby, are you awake?” Chanyeol murmured, squeezing Baekhyun’s hand gently. It was the easiest way to wake him without sending him into a blind panic.

“Mm? Wha’s the matter?” Baekhyun opened one bleary eye, eventually focusing on Chanyeol’s face.

“That café we wanted to go to is opening today, remember?” He watched as Baekhyun’s face immediately shut down with fear, and cuddled him close. “It’s still early, there won’t be a lot of people. And I’ll be with you the whole time. We’re safe now. You don’t have to worry.”

“I know, I know.” Baekhyun buried his face in Chanyeol’s shoulder, trying to anchor himself with the solid feel of it and the familiar smell. “How many miles away are we?”

“Exactly four hundred and nine.”

“Maybe we should have kept going another four hundred.”

“Baek.”

“I know, I know.” He heaved a sigh. “I’ll go get dressed.” He heaved himself out of the safety of their warm bed and dug through the dresser, finding a clean pair of jeans and one of Chanyeol’s hoodies that fell to the middle of his thighs. He had to push the sleeves up to be able to use his hands. He turned around to see Chanyeol stripping off his thermal shirt to put on a thick sweater. Baekhyun had to hold onto the dresser to stay standing; his own wounds had healed, but Chanyeol was still covered in healing bruises and pink scars. Chanyeol looked up and caught Baekhyun staring.

“We’re safe now, baby. Don’t worry about me.” Chanyeol said softly, tugging the sweater on over his head. “We never have to see our families again. As far as I’m concerned, they don’t exist. _You_ are my only family.”

Baekhyun nodded and went to the closet to find his shoes. As he knelt to dig through the mess of sneakers on the floor, he slid his hand over to the gym bag in the corner. He dug out one fat roll of cash, thanking whoever had sent Heechul to him, and had given Heechul such a generous spirit. Just touching the safety net of cash that his former lover had given him made him feel a little better about starting this new life with Chanyeol. Four hundred and nine miles wasn’t far enough away from all those bad memories to make him feel safe.

But Chanyeol’s grip on his hand made him feel safer, even as Chanyeol’s junky old car rattled and rumbled under them. He’d need to slowly allocate some money out to get the car fixed. It would help if Chanyeol had known about Heechul, but that was something Baekhyun couldn’t talk about. Both of them had things they couldn’t talk about, either because the wounds were too fresh or they ran too deep.

They parked behind the café and scurried in. Baekhyun didn’t mind the rainy weather, if he was honest. Something about the soft gray light and the clouds made him feel more secure, like he was tucked in a safe corner.

“Do you want to order for yourself?” Chanyeol asked softly as they got into line. There were only a few other people in the café, and the cashier had a huge smile on his face. It seemed safe enough for Baekhyun.

“I’ll try.” Baekhyun knew he had to do this. He knew he had to work on being stronger, on being more confident, if not for himself but so Chanyeol didn’t have to worry about him so much. It couldn’t be easy for him to have to take care of both of them.

Chanyeol ordered for himself first, before shifting aside so Baekhyun could talk to the cashier. Baekhyun had a soft voice when they were in public, and over the hum and spit of the coffee machine and the music playing, he needed every bit of help he could get.

“Could I—?” Baekhyun’s voice died in his throat. “I—I want a…” The cashier leaned a bit closer, his eyes studying Baekhyun’s face. Then he ducked behind his register, returning with a paper and pen. Baekhyun could have cried he was so relieved. He scrawled out his order for the cashier, who read it off to the barista and rang up their bill. Chanyeol handed over the cash and then took Baekhyun over to the pickup area.

“That was so _nice_.” Baekhyun buried his face in Chanyeol’s chest. So many cashiers had been so awful to him, rolling their eyes when he couldn’t give them a clear answer, or huffing impatiently. A simple act of kindness was enough to bring him to the verge of tears.

“That was very nice of him. And you tried, that’s the important part. You’ll get stronger.” Chanyeol pressed a kiss to the top of Baekhyun’s head. They were still too much bone, too many sharp angles jabbing into each other. Feeding themselves properly was definitely high on the priority list, along with helping Baekhyun learn how to talk to strangers without the fear his family had instilled in him. Chanyeol felt his hand tighten unconsciously around Baekhyun’s hip, remembering what Baekhyun had told him about his family life. But those days were over now, and they would only get better.

The cashier called out their order and Chanyeol let go of Baekhyun to go collect them. Along with the two mugs, the cashier had placed a pink box.

“Oh, we didn’t order this.” Chanyeol said, pushing it back towards the cashier. His nametag, surrounded by silver glitter, said his name was Jongdae.

“It’s on the house.” Jongdae nudged the box back to Chanyeol.

“Why?” Chanyeol wished he could take the suspicion out of his voice, but it had been engrained in him so deeply.

“Your boyfriend’s hands are too thin. You hold yourself like you’re ready to throw him over your shoulder and run out of the building. I had a friend who looked a lot like that. I guess I see him in you. Please. Take the muffins. Eat. Enjoy the café.” Jongdae ignored the barista’s call, maintaining eye contact with Chanyeol.

“Thank you.” Chanyeol said finally, balancing their orders to take them over to the table Baekhyun had saved for them. They drank their tea and feasted on the muffins, each bigger than Chanyeol’s fist and filled with chocolate chips. Baekhyun cried a little when he heard why Jongdae had given them the free muffins.

But Chanyeol was the one crying when Baekhyun stood up and walked over to Jongdae. He could see the rigid way Baekhyun was holding his shoulders, like he was walking to his doom. If he hadn’t been listening, he wouldn’t have heard Baekhyun’s soft voice.

“Thank you. My boyfriend and I have just moved here, and we’re trying to get used to…a new location. It was very kind of you to do that for us.” Baekhyun was struggling to get the words out of his closing throat by the end of the sentence. The barista poked his blond head out from around the coffee machine.

“Jesus, Dae, you didn’t tell me how young he was.” The barista elbowed Jongdae. “You’re welcome here whenever you need a place to rest.”

“Thank you.” Baekhyun managed to get all the way back to Chanyeol before his knees gave out. Chanyeol just held him close, feeling his heart swell with love for the fragile boy in his arms.

\--

“What is that _smell_?” Junmyeon asked, craning his neck as if he could follow it. “It’s like cinnamon and maple and dreams.” Kris roared with laughter, pressing a kiss to Junmyeon’s neck.

“I’m pretty sure it’s the café booth.” Kris steered the three of them towards it. A small man was posted in front of it, violently making out with someone working there. The other worker looked like he would have rather been on the moon.

“Hi, are you the ones giving off that delicious smell?” Yixing asked the other employee. He perked up immediately now that the presence of other people had made the two men stop making out.

“Yes! That’s my muffins, I just popped them in the toaster to get that last crisp on them.” He bustled over to the toaster oven, while the taller man who worked at the booth wandered over.

“Would you like any drinks?” He asked, his eyes still a little glazed.

“Tea?” Junmyeon glanced at his partners. “Three cups of tea, please.” Yixing peeled away to check the tea selection and settled on a jasmine tea. The three muffins that came out of the toaster were browned to perfection, slightly gooey, and made Junmyeon audibly moan.

“Finally, someone who appreciates my work.” The baker said. “I’m Jongdae, asshole over here is Luhan, and that’s a man I barely know.”

“Dae!” Luhan scolded. “You know Minseok.”

“I know what Minseok looks like attached to your mouth.” It was clear from Jongdae’s tone that he was just teasing. “Sorry, I haven’t even asked you your names.”

“I’m Junmyeon, and this is Kris, and Yixing.” Junmyeon said before diving back into his muffin.

“You three are a pod?”

“A what?” Kris asked, his brow furrowing.

“A pod. The three of you are all together, right?” Jongdae looked like he desperately hoped he hadn’t misread the situation.

“You may be the first person who hasn’t immediately asked us how it works.” Yixing mumbled around a mouthful of muffin.

“I consider myself an evolved human being. It’s not my business how your relationship works. I just think it’s cool to see people like you out and about.” Jongdae peered down the walkway of the bazaar, at the rest of the booths selling goods and food. Kyungsoo’s charity had put on its yearly event, this time going for a flea market vibe rather than the previous year’s show. Yixing was just happy that he got to spend time with his partners.

“Are you looking for Chanyeol’s booth? I think he’s farther up.” Minseok was craning his neck when a lanky figure collided with him, body vibrating like an excited puppy.

“He sold out! He sold all his pieces!” The man said, grabbing Minseok’s shoulders and jumping up and down. Jongdae let out a whoop of excitement, nearly bowling Luhan over to go hug the strange man. Minseok, freed from the man’s grasp, nearly fell over into Yixing.

“Baekhyun’s a little excitable,” he said, his affection tangible. “His boyfriend is selling art in the bazaar and he sold all his pieces.”

“That’s wonderful!” Junmyeon was getting that feeling again, as he was introduced first to Baekhyun and then his boyfriend Chanyeol, that these people were meant to be in his family. Kris recognized the look first.

“I hope you all are ready to get adopted.” Kris chuckled, sipping on his tea.

“Adopted?” Chanyeol asked, one arm slung over Baekhyun’s shoulders.

“Junmyeon adopts people, feeds them until they’re ready to burst. He’s everyone’s guardian angel.” Yixing explained. “Kyungsoo, the marketing director of this charity, was his first adoptive child. I think all of you just got added in.”

“I mean, I don’t turn down free food.” Jongdae volunteered.

“Good. So I can expect all of you for dinner this week?” Junmyeon was in the process of getting numbers when Kyungsoo and Tao arrived, having made their way over.

“Oh great, I see we have to share now.” Tao faked a pout. “Junnie, I thought we were special!”

“We are special. Suho doesn’t adopt just anyone.” Kyungsoo reminded him.

“Suho? Guardian? Really?” Junmyeon honestly wasn’t against the nickname. He liked being a guardian, especially of people like Baekhyun, whose nervous eyes betrayed his anxiety, and Luhan and Minseok, young and fiercely in love, and Jongdae, a gentle spirit.

“You are our Suho. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Yixing squeezed Junmyeon’s hip gently. He’d definitely been called worse names. This one at least was proof of his great love.

\--

“Are you sure your partner won’t mind?” Jongin asked for what had to be the fifteenth time since he’d gotten into the car with Yixing.

“Jongin, trust me. He loves having surprise guests, and you probably won’t be the only one stopping by.” Yixing flicked his turn signal on, turning onto his street. “Besides, you’re my guest. He won’t mind.”

Jongin was still nervous about the whole thing. Yixing had asked him after class if he wanted to come over for dinner that night, taking him by surprise. Jongin was a good dancer, a natural even, but he was only taking Yixing’s contemporary class to break up his composing work. He had hardly expected his dance teacher to get so fond of him that he would ask him to dinner.

And yet, there he was, getting out of the car and following Yixing into the house. The heat was running full blast, the air smelled like garlic, and there was raucous laughing coming from the living room. They walked in to see a man with a cat-like grin half-pinned down and cackling as he was relentlessly tickled. Behind that sound, he could hear two people speaking in Mandarin to each other, and someone singing in the kitchen. Jongin didn’t know what to do in all the noise.

“Will you stop making Jongdae drool on my floors?” Yixing picked up a pillow and hit the nearest assailant he could. “We have a new friend, try to act normal for at least the first ten minutes.”

Immediately, six pairs of eyes landed on Jongin. He waved awkwardly. “Hi. I’m Jongin, one of Yixing’s dance students.” He tried to remember everyone’s names, but they were all chattering at him so quickly he could hardly retain them. Then Yixing was towing him away, briefly introducing him to Kris, one of his partners, and Tao, another guest.

Then he met Junmyeon, dressed in a plaid apron and singing along to the radio as he chopped basil for his tomato sauce. He paused in his cutting when he saw the stranger in his kitchen.

“Oh, Xing, did you bring home that student you were telling me about?” Junmyeon said, turning slightly to dump the basil into the sauce.

“Yeah, this is Jongin.” Yixing gave him a slight nudge forward so he would shake Junmyeon’s hand. “This is my other partner, Junmyeon, or Suho as we call him.”

Junmyeon blushed and swatted at Yixing. “Two years and I still can’t get used to that.”

“Junmyeon is our guardian angel.” Yixing explained, taking Jongin back out to the living room with a beer. “He’s sort of adopted a whole crew of people into our family, because he feels like they need his protection.”

That became clearer as the night went on, and he asked other people how they’d met Junmyeon, Kris, and Yixing. Tao had met him through Junmyeon’s real estate business; Kyungsoo had practically been kidnapped in. Luhan, Minseok, Jongdae, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol had all come in one swoop after meeting Junmyeon at a charity bazaar. Jongin was the only one to not be brought in by Junmyeon himself, but it seemed like Junmyeon was intent on keeping him. He babied Jongin all night, giving him tea and making him wrap a blanket around his legs because his jeans were damp, and making sure he was comfortable around everyone.

Jongin was happy to have someone take care of him. Taemin tried, of course, but he was a ghost. There was only so much he could do. Junmyeon offered up his house and food and attention, just because he felt like it was the right thing to do. Jongin decided he could get used to the noise and the clatter, if he got the warm, bright family along with it. Since his grandmother had died and he’d been alone with Taemin, he’d missed out on that.

“Did you have a good time tonight?” Yixing asked as he drove Jongin back to his car. It was after midnight, but they’d all been having such a good time he hadn’t wanted to leave.

“I had a really good time. Everyone is wonderful, especially Junmyeon.” Jongin adjusted the stack of containers on his lap that Junmyeon had sent him home with, packed with leftovers and baked goods.

“Our Junmyeon is truly one of a kind.” Jongin couldn’t agree more.

\--

Sehun knew as soon as he shook hands with the realtor that he had the Sight.

It wasn’t as strong as his own, but it was there, humming beneath the surface. Sehun trusted him slightly more for it. He could tell Junmyeon was sneaking glances at him, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. And Sehun did look sort of terrible. He’d been sleeping on his friend’s couch since he landed in town, and even though Amber dosed him with sleeping potions every night, he couldn’t rest. His eyes were bruised dark, his face gaunt. He was hoping getting his own place would help him sleep.

“This place has been on the market for a while, so we might be able to get the price down depending on if you like it or not.” Junmyeon said as he turned off the engine. Sehun felt his stomach twist a little, and wondered if it was just the ominous storm clouds hanging over the building.

As they got closer to the unit, he was sure it wasn’t the atmosphere, but the building itself. Junmyeon opened the front door and Sehun immediately dug in his heels.

“Nope. Not going in there.” Sehun didn’t even want to be standing within ten feet of that door.

“What’s the matter?” Junmyeon asked, even as his eyes betrayed that he sensed something too.

“You can tell there’s something wrong in there.” Sehun shook his head. “I’m not going in.”

Junmyeon shut the door, locked it, and led Sehun back to the car. They’d sat in silence for a full five minutes before Junmyeon spoke. “You’re Force Sensitive too, aren’t you?”

“Is that what you call it?” Sehun tried not to giggle. “My grandfather always just called it the Sight.”

“Well, I can’t really _see_ anything. I just feel the disturbance.”

“I could tell when I shook your hand that you were like me. But I have the stronger gift, unfortunately.”

“Unfortunately?”

“The ghosts aim at me, not at you. I can actually see and hear them, they want to take their anger out on me.”

Junmyeon looked at his thin hands, at the dark circles smudging under his eyes. Then he turned the car on and drove out of the parking lot.

“Where are we going?” Sehun asked, hurriedly putting on his seatbelt.

“Back to my house. I think some tea and lemon cake would do you a world of good.” Junmyeon didn’t hear any disagreement, so he kept going. Kris’s truck was parked in front of the house and Junmyeon remembered belatedly that he’d taken the day off.

“Kris? Babe?” Junmyeon called into the house as he dropped his umbrella into the bucket.

“In here.” Kris’s voice sounded nasally and congested. He was on the couch, wrapped in an old blanket and surrounded by balled up tissues and empty tea cups.

“Oh, poor thing.” Junmyeon clucked, fussing around him and tucking him in tighter. Sehun turned his attention to the artwork on the wall rather than watch the domestic display.

“Is this our new kid?” Kris mumbled.

“I think so. I need to get some food in him.” Junmyeon glanced over his shoulder at Sehun.

“I think I’m gonna go shower, try to steam my head a little.” Kris got up, the blanket still wrapped around him. “I’d shake your hand but I don’t want to infect you.” He waved at Sehun half heartedly before trudging up the stairs.

“That’s one of my partners, Kris.” Junmyeon explained, leading Sehun into the kitchen. “He’s got a nasty cold.”

“Yeah, sounds like it. Poor guy.” Sehun settled into a chair at the kitchen table, tucking his long legs under the seat. Junmyeon made two cups of tea and cut a thick piece of lemon cake for Sehun. It seemed to brighten his mood a little bit as he ate.

“So what did he mean, our new kid?” Sehun asked when he was done. Junmyeon blushed red.

“Ah. I have a habit for adopting people, especially if I think they need my help or they could benefit from having a family.” Junmyeon shrugged. “It might be part of my gift, I don’t know. But when I meet people, I seem to just _know_ that they’re supposed to be with me. They all call me Suho.”

“Guardian. Not a bad name.” Sehun took a sip of his lukewarm tea. “And you think I could benefit from having a family?”

“I guess. But I know you’re supposed to be in my family.” Junmyeon told him about Kyungsoo, how he overworked himself but let himself relax and unwind with the family. He told him about Zitao, with his tough guy exterior but the softness and need for emotional support within. He told him about Baekhyun and Chanyeol, and how they hadn’t had accepting or loving families. And Sehun processed all of this, and watched Junmyeon talk about his family with such love. Who wouldn’t want to experience that love for themselves?

“You’ve sold me on it, you don’t need to keep trying.” Sehun said with a laugh, cutting Junmyeon off before he could start on Minseok. “I’ll join the tribe.”

“Oh. Good! We’re having a family dinner tonight if you’d like to stay. And I’ll still help you find a place to live, of course.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it, Suho.” Sehun grinned cheekily at the way Junmyeon reacted to that. Amber always told him that things happened for a reason. Obviously there was a reason he’d picked a realtor who had the Sight, and happened to visit a haunted apartment with him. This was the path he’d been trying to find. Now all he had to do was follow it.

 

 

 

 


End file.
